Rock the Heart (3 page)

The cab stops at the corner of 57th street, near the restaurant where I’m suppose to meet Noel. I pay the driver and give him a scathing look as he lifts his butt out of his seat to get a better look down the top of my dress in the review mirror. 

Men? Are they all such scumbags?

Nu Boo restaurant is one of the hottest places in the city to dine, which makes it very hard to get a reservation without advance notice. Noel obviously managed to obtain one last minute, but somehow I’m not surprised. He is Noel Falcon, and whether I want to admit it or not, he has magical connections. 

This restaurant is a prime example of that.

I step up to the hostess and feel my face flush when she asks for the name my reservation is under. “I’m actually meeting the other member of my party here. The name is under…” I hesitate and think about how absurd the pseudo name Noel gave is. “Um, it’s under Dong, Long-Dick Dong.”

The young, blonde waitress snickers, and the flesh around my ears burn. There’s no doubt that my complexion is the same color as the slinky red dress Aubrey insisted I wear tonight. 

The girl gains her composure, and says, “Right this way, Ms. Dong.”

I want to crawl in a hole and die from sheer embarrassment.  

I spot Noel in a corner booth talking on his cell. His laugh cuts through the dinner crowd chatter and my stomach knots. He still laughs the same and it takes me back to the time when we were in love. It’s only been four years. Memories of us together are still vivid and I picture his face. I bite my lip as I shake away the thought. Hopefully, I can maintain a line between our business and personal relationship.

A hulking man steps in front of me and the hostess. He’s at least six foot five with a short buzz cut and bulging forearms. He looks like he can kill someone with his bare hands. “I’m sorry, ladies. Mr. Falcon isn’t available for pictures or autographs at this time.”

The hostess shrugs and turns to me. “You’re on your own from here. Good luck.”

I swallow hard and stare up at the big guy who’s blocking my path to Noel. “I’m Lanie Vance?” It sounds more like a question than a statement when the words leave my mouth. “He’s expecting me.”

The bodyguard’s eyes soften. The menacing look he wore a second ago gone as he stands aside. “My apologies, Ms. Vance, please proceed.”

I tell him thank you, then step around him. Noel glances up and notices me. His jaw drops a little as his hungry eyes rake over my body. The surprise leaves his face, and a slow, sexy grin spreads across his devilishly-kissable lips. 

He lays his phone on the table without telling the other person goodbye as he stands to greet me. Even in a simple outfit of a white button-up shirt and jeans, Noel looks delicious.  The sleeves of his white shirt are shoved up to his elbows, revealing tattoos covering every inch of his impressive forearms. The disheveled sweaty hair I’d last seen him in, now styled into a trendy fohawk and his chin sporting a trim goatee. 

Damn. Why did he have to be so sexy? A girl can only resist so much when someone looks the way he does.

“Wow.” He kisses my cheek and hugs me a little too tightly against his chest for a business greeting. He smells divine, like a body wash and something else entirely male. He trails his nose along my cheek and then whispers in my ear, “You look good enough to eat.”

I pull away and place a hand on his chest to push him back until his drops his arms from around my waist. “Noel, you can’t say things like that to me.”

He tilts his head and studies me. “Why not? It’s true.”

My eyes flit down to his mouth and stare at the way his lips move when he speaks. They are mesmerizing, and it takes me a second to remember why I’m here. “Just because, you can’t. Not anymore, okay? This is my job.”

I slide into my chair at the table, and Noel pushes my chair in for me before taking the seat directly across from me at the tiny round table. He grins at me. “So no innocent flirting?”

I shake my head. “None.”

He rests his chin in the palm of his hand and stares at me openly with his big, blue eyes. “Is it because you have a boyfriend?”

I scrunch my eyebrows together. “What? Who said anything about me having a boyfriend?”

Thoughts of my last boyfriend, Corey, shoot through my mind. That relationship ended over two years ago, and since then, I’ve found school and work more fulfilling than dating college boys with one night stands on the brain. 

He smiles. “If there’s no boyfriend in the picture, I don’t see why I can’t compliment you for looking down right sexy.”

I rub across the back of my neck and toy with my hair. It shouldn’t matter that he thinks I’m sexy, but it does. Heat in my belly pools, and I fight the urge to reach out and trail my fingers over his skin. 

I can’t let him do this. Noel cannot take control over this situation. I need him to like me, but also keep him at a distance. We aren’t crazy, reckless teenagers anymore. The sweet talk that won me over in high school can’t go on now. We’re adults and we need to act like it.

I readjust in my chair and cross my legs under the table. “Well, thank you for the compliment, but I would appreciate that in the future we keep our relationship strictly professional. I have a lot riding on you and me getting along, so I would like you to refrain from those types of compliments.”

I cringe inwardly as I wait for Noel to tell me to get the hell out of the restaurant.  I’m sure he’s used to getting his way now days. Isn’t that how all the tabloids portray rock stars? Putting him in his place probably isn’t going to sit well. After all, I don’t really deserve any kindness from him after the way I broke up with him, so he has every right to be angry with me. 

However, instead of harsh words, I hear Noel roar with laughter across from me. 

A few heads at surrounding tables turn toward us. Does this man attract attention everywhere he goes?

I smooth the white linen table cloth with my finger and try to pretend that his laugh isn’t kind of insulting. He finds it funny that I asked him to not sexually pursue me?

He wipes a tear away from his eye. “Lane, I never knew you had this little hard-ass business chick inside of you. I have to admit, this no-nonsense attitude is kind of hot. Plus, I didn’t know you thought about riding me. That’s one thing I know I can make happen for you.”

Great. So not the reaction I want. He’s never going to take me seriously. I’m a fool for thinking I could make this work out. 

I grab my purse and start to stand. 

Noel reaches across the table and grabs my wrist. His blue eyes ablaze. “Wait, where are you going, Lane? We haven’t even ordered dinner yet.”

His fingers burn my skin, and I stare up at the ceiling and count to three to take my mind off how good his touch feels. I pull my arm away from his grasp. “Professional, please, Noel.”

He raises his hands in surrender. “Okay, if I promise to keep things PG, will you stay?”

Does he even know how to do that anymore? This whole cocky, rock star persona he’s got going on probably warps his rating system of what’s actually considered PG.

I tuck my hair behind my ear and sigh. “PG? If you can do that, I’ll stay.”

Noel crosses his finger over his heart. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

I raise an eyebrow and pick up a menu. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Noel chuckles. “I don’t remember you being this fun back in high school.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t remember you being this much of a dick.” I duck behind the menu and bit the inside of my cheek and curse myself for talking to him this way. I’m going to lose this job before dinner is even over.  

He clears his throat. “You know, Lane. If you keep talking to me like that, I might have to show you just how nice I can be.”

“Um, that’s not happening,” I flip the page in the menu and do the best I can to ignore his outrageous flirting. PG doesn’t seem to be in Noel’s DNA.

“You say that now, but I remember how much you liked it.”

My throat tightens and my thigh muscles tense. He’s right. Sex with Noel was amazing, but that’s not something I’m going to let happen, clearly since that seems to be his sole purpose in reuniting with me.

Uncomfortable as to where this conversation may lead, I search for a quick out. “Excuse me, Miss?” I say to a waitress that’s passing by and I’m relieved when she stops at our table and cuts Noel off. “We’re ready to order.” The cute blonde stands with her hands behind her back, committing our orders to memory, but before she leaves I add, “I’m kind of in a rush, so the sooner you can bring our order the better.”

The quicker I can get away from Noel, the sooner I’ll be able to regain my sanity is what I really want to say to her, but I don’t want Noel to know he’s having any effect on me.

When we’re alone and there’s no menu to hide behind, I stare at Noel. His eyes watch me intently, studying my every move, and he makes no move to pretend that he’s not openly staring at me. 

I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. It’s hard to get comfortable under his gaze. “What?” 

Noel shrugs. “Just wondering what’s more important than your job?”

My eyes widen. “Nothing is more important than this job.”

He nods. “Good, I’m glad to hear that because it’s about to take up every minute of your life.”

“What do you mean?” I expect my new position will take up most of my time, but every minute? 

Noel leans forward on his elbows. “I need to make sure the person in charge of getting the word out about my charity gets it—how close I am to literacy. So I’ve decided you have to come on the road with me to fully understand what I need from you.”

Go on the road with him? Is he insane? That’s unheard of, and it’s totally unreasonable to ask that of me. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why wouldn’t I be serious about this? I want to make sure you don’t fuck up my charity with your lack of experience. This means a lot to me.”

“I know it does, but just because I’m not all that experienced doesn’t mean I won’t do a great job for you, Noel. Dyslexia isn’t something to be ashamed of. Lots of people have it now-a-days. You should let other people know that you have it. It may inspire some kids not to give up. But making me go on the road with you because you think I’m the only person who will understand why this literacy program means so much to you, it’s…absurd.”

He flinches. “Absurd? You know what’s absurd? Calling the owner of a marketing company and demanding she give you a job, even though you aren’t qualified because I feel like an asshole. The least you can do is come on the road with me so I can personally oversee this project and make sure I’ll be happy with the finished campaign.”  

“I’m sorry, Noel. I didn’t mean any disrespect, but you can’t expect me to leave my life and ride on a cramped bus with you and a bunch of sweaty guys.”

“Technically, there’s only four of us on the bus, so I don’t think that qualifies as ‘a bunch’, besides I was hoping you’d spend most of your nights with me in my room”—I raise my eyebrows and he smiles—“working on the project. The bus is the only place we’ll be able to meet without interruption.” 

 I shake my head. “I can’t. Besides, Mrs. Swagger will never agree to that.”

Noel traces his lower lip with his index finger and then winks at me. “You leave her to me. That old broad loves me.”

“Even if I protest?”

He shrugs. “It’s up to you whether you come with me or not. Guess we’ll see how much you want this job.”

“This is blackmail!” I seethe.

“No, see that’s where you are wrong. If it were blackmail, I would get something I want out of the deal, and from what I can tell, that’s not going to be an option with you. Come on, Lane. I’m not asking you to fuck me, unless you want to, that is. All I’m trying to do is help an old friend out and make sure my shit gets done right.” 

When he puts it that way, I do feel like an uppity jerk. Noel did get me this job. Is it really so far fetched that he wants to make sure I do a good job? I’m sure Diana told him I have zero real world experience because she told me herself she tried to talk him out of using me for the position. 

But the Noel I know looks at all the angles, and I’m curious as to what his ultimate goal in this situation is. “I’m calling bullshit, Noel. Tell me, exactly what you hope to get by dragging me along on your bus?”

His lips quirk and I know I’m right. “I forgot how well you know me, Lane. You’re right. There is something I hope to accomplish with this little venture.”

I raise my eyebrow, curious as to what he’ll say next. “And what’s that?” Judging by the sexy twinkle in his eye, I have the uneasy feeling I already know.

My hand trembles as I sip my water, ruining the unfazed-by-you-Noel-Falcon look, I’m trying my best to project.

He leans across the small dinning table. His nearness causes a chemical reaction inside of me and I’m suddenly hot all over.  I take another sip of water just as he says, “The chance to get back inside that tight, little body of yours.”

I nearly spit the contents of my drink in his face. “Are you out of your fucking mind? How dare you say something like that to me?”

Noel’s smile widens. “Because you and I both know this is going to happen. It’s only a matter of time before you give into me. It isn’t like I don’t already know every inch of your body and what it likes. You want it just as much as I do. I can see it in your eyes.”